heulwen

Thank you!

Hey it's completely out of topic but I accidentally gave a negative vote to Wicked_Problem's post instead of a positive one and can't take it back Do you guys know how to? Sorry!!!

Hey sorry if I'm misunderstood, I was just exaggerating when I said "the horrors of the British system".. Obviously no system is inherently bad or good. The points you both made were extremely important and they have helped me to understand what sort of qualifications are expected in the US academic job market. I actually saved the posts here in case I need to review them later. I'll consider all the arguments raised as I plan my time in Cambridge (Attending courses and seeking teaching opportunities will be my priority). Thank you very much for your insight !!! Well I don't live in the US, so.. I'm considering to apply to post-docs or fellowships in the US once I get my PhD. Thank you all for your good luck wishes !! I've learned so many things from you during the last two years - Love you all ! (GROUP HUG)

In reply to kaputzing's question: I have a very specific topic at hand and I more or less know where to look for to gather information about it. On the other hand, I want to believe that my supervisor in Cambridge will not show me the way to the library and tell me "I'll see you in three years". This can't be the way things go in a world wide famous research institution.... I hope!

Yeah - so, I've written to my contact person at CUNY about the issue. In reply to my rather long e-mail telling about the Cambridge offer and the confusion it led me to, I received a short reply like this: "OK we understand your situation, respect your decision, good luck." This is funny because I never told this person that I made my mind and decided to accept the Cambridge's offer. Well, I guess that's it then. Cambridge it's gonna be. Two lessons I learned from this: #1: Never EVER share these things with the people who are part of the program you intend to go BEFORE you give your final decision. No matter how political you think you express things, it somehow gives the impression that you've already made your mind and you're trying to "pave the way" for telling it. #2: People who disappoint you can be found everywhere. Roverman33's post had really freaked me earlier but after this frustrating correspondence with CUNY I'm thinking there was no guarantee that my supervisor in NY would be able to provide the proper "guidance" we associate with the US system. There is no sense to base your decisions on an idealized system, the individuals you encounter also matter a lot. Under the roof of a dream program you can work with a supervisor who doesn't care at all and vice versa. Judging from the correspondence I previously had with my potential Cambridge supervisor, he seems to be quite involved and interested. I reckon a leap of faith is what I'm left to do. Thank you all a million times for sharing your comments and ideas!!! I decided to post my Cambridge experiences later in this forum to give an idea to people who might find themselves in the same situation. Let's see if the "horrors" of the British system actually exist.

I see.. That is strange. As a foreigner to both of the cultures it's hard for me to imagine the subtle differences between them. I'll keep this in mind. I'm just hoping maybe Cambridge professors are aware of these issues? I wish. I understand what you mean... To be honest flipping a coin occurred to me before After all these are both good options and it's meaningless to torture yourself after a certain point. This is a whole another approach though... Thanks!

What exactly does this mean Are you suggesting the British academicians are incapable of writing good recommendation letters?

Thanks everyone again for their contributions. I decided to contact with the CUNY people and honestly tell them about my dilemma. I wonder how they'll react to this.. I've contacted two professors from the other two US programs I got admitted to and asked their opinions on this matter. One of them told me that it was hard to imagine I would want to turn down a Cambridge offer. The other said if I chose Cambridge, the University itself would be my resource regardless of the supervisor they assigned to me (in reply to my concerns about the match of research interests). So far all the professors I've talked to (in my home country and in the US) emphasize that the Cambridge offer is too attractive and I shouldn't miss the opportunity to undertake funded research in such a world wide prestigious institution. Maybe I'll try to do two years of post-doc or fellowship in a US program afterwards to compensate certain disadvantages..

Thank you very much pudewen and sweetcheese for your detailed posts... These are excellent points you both made. Although I agree with pudewen about the point s/he made on the experience/knowledge gained (and proved) through coursework and general exams, I shall say I have some doubts about the UK PhD providing less time & opportunity to give conference presentations and plan about the thesis. I believe one will find more time for these if s/he is not burdened with heavy amounts of TA or RA work. As I understood from my own MA experience, these take most of your time & energy and leave very small for either conferences or thesis preparation. Especially at CUNY, I heard that the TA work was extremely heavy and combined with the course load the earliest you start seriously thinking about your research would be the beginning of the third year of your PhD. I somehow feel it's good to be granted money in return for doing absolutely nothing but your own research. This doesn't mean you're not allowed to do anything else, it only means that you'll have the chance to plan your time as you see fit. On the other hand, as heavy as it is, the TA work means experience and the more of it you have on paper the better you stand at job applications, I guess. This certainly is not going to be an easy choice for me.

Thank you all guys for your comments !!! You've been really helpful. Regarding lafayette's question: I don't actually dream about teaching in the US, as a matter of fact I believe I'll be much more happy if I can teach in a European country instead... On the other hand, (as Wicked_Problem stated) I also don't exactly understand why the UK diplomas are considered comparatively disadvantaged in the US job placements in general. Is it because of the lack of teaching experience? The lack of PhD courses? I heard that it was possible to take a couple of courses or gain teaching experience for the PhD students in the UK too -as long as they asked for it-. Is there anything else I've been missing? .. and as Carthage32 said.. Let's say I wanted to teach in the US. Would a CUNY diploma do actually much more good than a Cambridge diploma which is among the top five institutions in the world rankings?

Thanks for the comment, Andean Pat! Yeah scoring sounds like a good idea... This has been the weirdest week of my life.

Hello guys So... Here's the question. I'm an international student with an interest in labor history and gender in the Middle East. I've been admitted to the CUNY History PhD Program with 5 years of funding. I've accepted the offer with great joy because the department has some great Middle Eastern faculty and offers excellent courses. I was putting together documents to make my visa application but then all of a sudden I've received a notification from the University of Cambridge that I've been awarded with three years of scholarship by their Committee. (This was totally unexpected because previously I had been told that the deadline for funding was February) I'm super confused now. I know that there are pros and cons of doctoral education in the British system. The most obvious advantage is, as far as I know, that the students are not expected to do any TA work so it's possible to spare more time for your own research. (the CUNY students are expected to GIVE COURSES starting form the second year). Another advantage in my case is that the Cambridge diploma is world wide prestigious and the University Library is beyond impressive. As a personal advantage, the UK is closer to my country which saves me lots of money to visit my family and friends whenever I want. The city is nice, people ride bikes to the campus, etc... There are also some disadvantages compared to CUNY. The fact that no courses are offered in Cambridge's PhD program makes me concerned because I feel not exactly ready jumping into writing my dissertation yet. My potential supervisor at Cambridge (although a very sophisticated scholar) is not a Middle Eastern Historian. (In CUNY, I'll have this supervisor who has very similar research interests to mine). Lastly, the city is, well, can't possibly be compared to New York which I've always wanted to see.. So.. What are your thoughts? I have to reach a quick decision before the 15th of April. I'd appreciate very much if you could share your ideas/opinions on the British versus American PhD education in history. Which one would you rather go? Thanks a lot in advance!!!

I received admission from UMass Amherst PhD Program on mid-Feb. I got an e-mail from the department and later another e-mail from the International Students Office. I will most probably reject the offer so I hope this helps someone on their waitlist.

Hello guys, did you get your Harvard rejections via regular mail?

Thank you ! I'm really excited about this! Well, if you haven't received that official letter of rejection yet, I assume you are on their waitlist or maybe you are admitted ! Best of luck & fingers crossed !